“(The one in Barrie) was probably one of my best hits of the year and I hadn’t had one in a while,” the 6-foot-2, 233-pound rearguard said. “I feel bad. Usually, little Bass (Alex Basso) is throwing his weight around. When I looked at the (video) tape, you should’ve seen the bench jump up. They were fired up. They loved it. I’m looking forward to a couple more of those.

“Keep the ball rolling, keep the boys going.”

Bell didn’t sit around as a silent cheerleader during his league-issued punishment, for attacking Saginaw captain Eric Locke three weeks ago in the aftermath of Anthony Stolarz’s scary leg cut.

“I was really watching the D,” he said. “I think they somewhat appreciate my input. If someone’s not playing hard or well, I’m not going to come down and lose it on them. But I’m going to come give them a shove and tell them it’s time (to) go.

“If I see something in the stands I’m not a huge fan of, I’ll come down and let the guys know.”

It speaks to Bell’s experience and comfort level that he can do that on a team he has played for just a few months. The overager, who turns 21 on Thursday, said he was a little rattled on receiving five games for what he believed was his first suspension in five OHL seasons.

“But it is was it is and I did what I did,” he said. “I’m glad he (Locke) wasn’t hurt but I got a little excited when I saw what I saw. It was an emotional game and they (his Knights mates) thought (Locke) hit Stolarz and I was in the wrong.

“I served my games and I’m ready to go.”

Bell thought he had been playing his best hockey as a Knight before the suspension.

“This is the grind of the season and it was kind of bad timing for me,” he said. “We’re coming into the heart of it now Every practice, I was doing something and game days were pretty tough. At the time (of his bag skates), I’ll be honest, I really hated (assistant coaches) Jeff Paul and Dylan Hunter.

“I was cursing them, but if they hadn’t done that, I couldn’t imagine how bad I would’ve been coming back (last week).”

Many of the players the Knights have brought in this season have endured some growing pains with their new club. Bell was not immune to it, either.

“It’s a great opportunity for Zach to win,” Paul said. “He played in Brampton for years and I think it took a little adjustment to deal with the expectations here. Any time you uproot and move anywhere, it’s an adjustment, let alone here in a season with the Memorial Cup. It’s a lot to handle pretty quick, but I thought he was playing really good, tough hockey for us.

“He’s not a dirty hockey player. He’s an honest player. He has a lot of character and he’s an important part of our dressing room.”

Bell senses the Knights will finish strong this season. He thinks the wild swings between putrid and top-notch hockey are behind them.

“I’d love to see it happen, but obviously, we can’t promise another crazy (24-game) winning streak like they had last year,” he said, “but we’re going to go out and play our best hockey every night. The inconsistency, we feel, has come to an end.”

The big hits, the Knights hope, are just starting from the blue line crew.

“If you’re not getting a lot of offensive opportunities, it’s a way to get your way into the game,” Paul said. “We stress them to be patient, but being physical is a massive thing, especially in a seven-game series. You look at the Barrie series. Our physical play helped us and Plymouth, what Zadorov did to Tom Wilson (of Plymouth in the Western Conference final), that helps the team.